AlQa'dah 18, 1435, Sep 13, 2014, SPA -- Authorities were struggling Saturday to rescue thousands of people stranded by floods in more than 100 villages in central Pakistan, dpa quoted officials as saying. Several artificial breaches were created along the protective embankments of Chenab river to divert floodwater away from the historic city of Multan, civilian administrator Zahid Saleem said. He said the threat to the city was almost over, but the diversion of water has affected 126 small villages and hamlets. Thousands of relief workers, policemen and soldiers were working to evacuate areas and deliver relief supplies, state-run Pakistan Television reported. The flooding began September 3 due to heavy monsoon rains. About 280 people have been killed in the eastern province of Punjab province, Pakistan-administered Kashmir and the semi-autonomous Gilgit-Baltistan regions in the north, National Disaster Management Authority official Ahmed Kamal said. More than 2 million people have been displaced. The disaster agency said the flooding would continue for at least another week before the excessive water could drain out through the southern province of Sindh. -- SPA 15:56 LOCAL TIME 12:56 GMT تغريد
